Territory



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

v W. MOOONAOHIE.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN MEASURING MACHINE.

100,400,100. Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

N. PETERS. Pbolo-Ulhagnphot, Washinglun. n. c,

(ModeL) I 2 sheets-sheet 2.

W. MGCONAGHIE.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN MEASURING MACHINE.

No. 400,100. Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

N PE Ens Flmo-lim nphan WaihinglomDC,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM MCCONAOHIE, OF BELLEVILLE, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN-MEASURING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,100, dated March26, 1889.

Application filed May 7, 1888. Serial No. 273,010, (Model) T0 aZZ whomit may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MOOONAOHIE, of Belleville, in the county ofGrand Forks and Territory of Dakota, have invented a new and ImprovedAutomatic Grain-Measuring Machine, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming apart thereof, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvedautomatic grain-measuring machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is anend elevation, and Fig. at is a transverse section, of themeasuring-box.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and eifectiveattachment to thrashingmachines for automatically measuring grain as itis thrashed and delivering it to a chute which will convey it to awagon, so that the wagon maybe loaded and the grain measured without theemployment of laborers, thereby saving considerable expense in thrashingand insuring accuracy.

My invention consists in a comparted box each compartment having ahinged door, and in the combination, with the comparted box, of a hopperprovided with a movable deflector for directing the grain into one orthe other of the compartments of the box.

It also consists in the combination, with the hinged doors, of a leverconnected with the doors and arranged to cause them to move inalternation.

It also consists in the combination, with the hinged doors, of hooks forholding the doors in a closed position while the compartments are beingfilled, and in a device for releasing the catches, all as hereinaftermore fully described.

The box A, forming the body of the meascontinuation of the partition 0below the box A, is pivotally suspended from the sides of the box byears a, turning on pins b, projecting from the box.

To the bottom of the box A are hinged doors E E, having side pieces, 0,for preventing the grain from escaping from the sides of the doors. Thedoors are provided with arms (1, which extend beyond the edges of thedoors E E, for receiving the catches e 6, formed on the right-angledlevers f f, pivoted to the side of the boxA. The horizontal arms of thelevers. f f project outwardly in opposite directions and are pressedupwardly by the double spring g. The upward movement of the levers f fis limited by the pins h h. The doors E E are connected by rods 2'2"with opposite ends of a lever, F, pivoted to the side of the box, so asto cause the doors to rise and fall in alternation.

To the side of the box A, above the catchlevers ff, is pivoted a lever,F, which is provided with an eye, j, connected by a rod, is, with thecrank Z on the driving-shaft m The driving-shaft m is provided with apulley, w, which receives motion through a belt from any convenientsource of power.

To the upper edge of the lever F are pivoted two right-angled levers, 00, the vertical arms of which are adapted to engage the horizontal armsof the catch-levers ff, and the horizontal arms of the levers 0 0 carryrods '19 p, having attached to their lower ends feet q q.

At the top of the machine is arranged a hopper, G, in which is arrangeda deflector, H, upon the shaft 1. The shaft I extends through the endsof the hopper and is provided with a crank-arm, J, which is connected bya rod, K, with the door E. The upper edge of the deflector H is adaptedto swing to one side or the other of the hopper, and the lower edge isarranged to swing first over one compartment of the box A and then overthe other, its movements being controlled in the manner presently to bedescribed. The grain is allowed to flow continuously into the hopper Gwhile the shaft m is revolved by power, causing the lever F tooscillate, and consequently swing the levers O and O and the feet q q,carried by the said levers, alternately in opposite directions. So longas the compartment into which the grain is flowing is not full, the feetq q are allowed to move freely, touching nothing, and the ends of thelevers o 0, carrying the feet g g, are held in a depressed position bytheir own gravity,

thereby holding the opposite ends of the said. levers away from thesides of the box A and out of engagement with the catch-levers ff; butwhen the compartment being filled has received the prescribed amount ofgrain the foot in that compartment upon its next downward excursionstrikes the surface of the grain and turns the right-angled lever 0 or0, so as to swing its vertical arm inward toward the box A and intoengagement with the top of the horizontal arm of the catch-lever f or f,and thus release the door which closes the bottom of the compartmentbeing filled, when the grain is immediately discharged, its weightcausing the door to fall, and in so doing to raise the door of the othercompartment, bringing it into engagement with the catch-lever. hen theparts are in the position shown in the drawings,the compartment B isbeing filled with grain from the hopper G, the grain being deflectedinto the compartment I) by the deflector ll. \Vhen the door E falls inthe manner described, it not only raises the door E, bringing it intoengagement with the catch 6, but it tilts the deflector II, so as todirectthe stream of grain from the hopper G to the compartment B. Atthis time the said compartment B begins to fill, while the grain isflowing out of the compartment 1-3. The grain flowing out of thecompartment B is prevented from affecting the motion of the door E bythe apron D, which hangs down between the edges of the doors. The leverI 0011- tinues to oscillate, as before, and when the grain in thecompartment 13 reaches into the path of the foot 1 the lever 0 isbrought into engagement with the catch-lever f, thus releasing the catchand reversing the operation just described. In this manner the001111321117 ments B B are filled and discharged in alternation, eachfilling of the compartments representing a measured quantity of grain.

The machine will be arranged to receive the grain from any suitableconveyor and to discharge it into another conveyer or chute.

IIavin g thu s described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Iatent 1. In an automatic grain-measuring machine, thecombination, with. a box divided into two compartments and alternatelyopening and closing doors for the bottom of the compartments, of catchespivoted to the side of the box for locking the doors closed, alocking-lever pivoted to the box, means for operating said lever, andcatch-releasing mechanism carried by the said rocking lever and havingarms or rods projectingdown into the compartments to be operated by themass of grain, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a grain-measuring machine, the combination, with a box dividedinto two compartments and alternately opening and closing doors for saidcompartments, of catches for holding the said doors closed, a rockinglever, angle-levers pivoted to the rocking lever and adapted to engagethe catches to release the same, and feet projectil'lg from theangle-levers into the compartments, substautially as described.

3. In an automatic grain-measuring machine, the combination, with thedoors E E, arranged to move in alternation with each other, of thespring-actuated catch-levers ff, the lever F, the angled levers 00,carried by the lever 1 and provided with rods 1) p, the downwardly-projecting arms of the levers 0 0 bein arran ed to en a e the catch-levers bo I a a f, and the feet 1 q ,for engaging the mass of material beingmeasured, substantially as specified.

4. In a grain-measuring machine, the com bination, with a box dividedinto two compartments, alternately opening and closing doors for saidcompartments, a hopper above the box, and a deflector pivoted in thehopper and operated by the movement of the doors, of catches for holdingthe doors closed, a rocking lever, and angle-levers pivoted on therocking lever and having their vertical arms engaging the catches torelease them and provided with feet projecting from the horizontal armsinto the compartments of the box, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

5. In an automatic grain-measuring machine, the combination, with a boxdivided into two compartments and provided with a hopper, andalternately opening and closing doors for the said compartments, and adeflector pivoted in the hopper, of pivoted and spring-actuated catchesfor holding the doors closed, a rocking lever, means for operating saidlever, catch-releasing mechanism carried by the rocking lever and havingarms or rods projecting down into the compartments tobe operated by themass of grain, and a eonnection between the deflector in the hopper andone of the doors, substantially as herein shown and described.

IVILLIAM McCONACI-l IE.

\Vitnesses:

.INo. II. llLlCLAIN, (JHAs. J. ADAMS.

